Plane’s landing failure closes airport for three hours

Flights to and from the Grantley Adams International Airport resumed Thursday afternoon after the airport was forced to close its runway for nearly three hours when a small private aircraft encountered landing gear difficulties.

The aircraft, a single-engine Cessna 177 Cardinal, registration N42821, arriving from Saint Lucia, experienced a malfunction during its landing attempt at approximately 10:40 a.m. Corporate Communication Specialist with the GAIA Sharleen Browne confirmed in the early afternoon that the aircraft was “on the runway at GAIA safely”.

Minister of International Transport Ian Gooding-Edghill confirmed there were two passengers and one pilot aboard the small plane.

“Thankfully, none of them, as I have been informed, sustained any major injuries,” he said.

Following standard procedures, the runway was closed to allow the Civil Aviation Authority and police to conduct inspections, the airport spokeswoman said.

The closure resulted in the diversion of incoming flights to other airports and delays to scheduled departures, causing considerable inconvenience to travellers and airlines amid a bump in traffic for Saturday’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final. Among those delayed in arriving here were the South African team whose flight from Trinidad was delayed moments before take off from Piarco International Airport when pilots received word of the closure.

Minister Gooding-Edghill commended the rapid response of emergency personnel.

“Emergency personnel were notified and were on the scene,” he said. “I’ve been further updated by the officials at Grantley Adams International Airport, who confirmed that the aircraft has since been removed from the runway and has been repositioned to the south parking apron.”